Liverpool John Moores University invests in student hardship fund through HPE’s Circular IT Program

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is tackling electronic waste by giving its retired IT equipment a second life with HPE Financial Services (HPEFS) and DTP Group in a way that is secure, sustainable and socially beneficial. The university wanted to stop equipment from ending up in landfill, maximize the value of reusable assets, and reinvest proceeds into technology upgrades and student welfare. The university has implemented HPE’s IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) services to adopt a circular economy approach and securely takeback, refurbish and remarket legacy IT equipment. This approach achieved substantial savings for the university’s IT budget, and the financial returns from resale and buyback were reinvested to support LJMU’s Student Hardship Fund, a financial support program that helps students who are experiencing unexpected financial difficulties that could affect their studies.

Through the support of HPE’s ITAD services, the university retired its HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers and refurbished the legacy technology to deploy HPE ProLiant Compute Gen12 servers, recovering financial value in the process to help drive their sustainability goals for community impact. More than 1,040 assets were sent for processing to be refurbished or responsibly recycled, resulting in 254,359.51 kg of CO₂e saved, equivalent to around 630 people flying from London to New York. In doing so, the university is extending the lifecycle of its technology and generating financial returns that directly supports student initiatives.

“At Liverpool John Moores University, sustainability is embedded across everything we do, including how we manage and retire our technology,” said Dr. Peter Ashton, Chief Information Officer & Director of IT Services, Liverpool John Moores University. “Working with HPE Financial Services and DTP Group enables us to securely and responsibly manage end-of-life IT equipment while reinvesting the value generated into initiatives like our Student Hardship Fund, delivering both environmental and social impact.”

As an urban university with limited on-campus space, LJMU required a fast and reliable solution to manage decommissioned IT infrastructure without having to store the equipment long-term. HPEFS and DTP Group provided rapid collection, certified data sanitization, refurbishment and resale of reusable assets, creating valuable, on-campus space for operational use. The program turned retired IT equipment into a source of financial and environmental value. Through HPE’s Circular Economy reporting, the university gained transparency into carbon savings and materials recovery. As a result, the university reinforced its sustainability leadership and earned first-class ranking in the 2025/2026 People & Planet University League.

“Customers are under pressure to do more with existing IT budgets,” said Maeve Culloty, President & CEO, HPE Financial Services. “Our IT Asset Disposition services help organizations recover value from their end-of-use technology and reinvest it where it matters most. Our work with Liverpool John Moores University shows how a circular approach to IT can unlock financial value, along with sustainability and, here, social benefits too.”

LJMU’s collaboration with HPEFS and DTP Group highlights how a circular IT approach can deliver far-reaching impact beyond traditional cost-savings. This initiative demonstrates that sustainability and social responsibility can go hand in hand, leveraging innovative IT lifecycle strategies to drive both environmental progress and meaningful community outcomes.

“We’re proud to have supported Liverpool John Moores University, a long standing and valued DTP client, on a project that shows technology can create a positive impact far beyond IT,” said Stuart Broadbent, Client Devices Director, DTP. “By giving retired equipment a second life, the university has not only reduced waste and recovered value but also reinvested funds into supporting students who need it most. It’s a great example of how sustainability, innovation and community impact can all work hand in hand.”